Robbie Williams is hopeful he and Britney Spears will record festive duet

Robbie Williams is still hoping to duet on ‘Fairytale of New York’ with Britney Spears in the future.
The ‘Angels’ hitmaker released his first-ever festive album, ‘The Christmas Present’ today (22.11.19), and he recently revealed he had hoped to get the ‘Toxic’ hitmaker on his "favourite" yuletide track by The Pogues.
Although Britney turned down the offer because she is on a break at the moment, Robbie is still holding out on making the duet happen.
Speaking to Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden on Heart Breakfast, he said: "My go to is ‘Fairytale of New York’ but I think you may have played that.
"But listen, check this out, I asked Britney Spears to duet with me on ‘Fairytale of New York’.
"She said no. What a lovely story."
Jamie asked: "What did you do?
"Did you ring her or did she just not text you back, how did that work?"
Robbie replied: "She’s not working right now.
"She’s having a rest.
"Maybe it’ll happen in the future."
Amanda then offered to step in for Britney, but Robbie responded: "We’re good Amanda."
‘The Christmas Present’ was three months in the making.
The former Take That star told The Sun newspaper: "I’ve been celebrating Christmas for the past three years in March, July and August while I’ve been working on this project."
He then quipped: "I’m a festive f***er."
The record features duets with Tyson Fury, Bryan Adams, Sir Rod Stewart, Robbie’s dad and his young daughter Teddy.
The 45-year-old singer asked the 31-year-old boxer to sing on ‘Bad Sharon’, a song about a "boozy office party", and he said the heavyweight "smashed it" in the recording studio.
The ‘Somethin’ Stupid’ hitmaker was also delighted to have both Bryan and Rod record songs for the album because they have always been inspirations to him.
He said of the pair: "People that I know, people that I like and people that I’ve got captive audience with that can’t say no in that moment when you ask them to do it. It’s easier on emails to say no.
"That was like two years ago and they’d forgotten but I hadn’t…’ me again’. They’re both really lovely chaps, incredibly nice people, incredibly nice with me and I look up to them and they’re the people I’ve gone, ‘Right OK, what happens to your career when you get older, where do you go? How do you do it?’ And I watch them for inspiration."
Robbie – who will perform a festive show at The SSE Arena, Wembley, in support of the record on December 16, and Magic of Christmas at the London Palladium on November 24 – teamed up with his father Pete Conway on ‘A Wonderful Life’ and his daughter Teddy, seven, has a small part on the track ‘Home’.